The tachymeter bezel, along with the screw-down pushers enforce an unmistakably Daytona-esque look, especially with the loud Units Per Hour text and the varying printed track that is present from the 100 mark on both the Tudor Heritage Black Bay Chrono and the Rolex Daytona. No way around it, the bezel to those not familiar with the ’70s chronographs from Tudor will look like it is straight from a Daytona (apart from its size, of course). Still, the lack of a crown guard and the red “meters first” text at 6 o’clock make for enough of a considerable difference – but that doesn’t mean they necessarily work well with the Black Bay’s newfound chronograph design elements.

We have discussed case size, wearability, strap options, styling elements, and movement peculiarities, so we really could wrap this article up. However, I do want to take this opportunity to discuss Tudor, branding, and the importance of core collections and versatility – so, please, brace yourselves (and let me know your thoughts on this in the comments).

Tudor is one of, if not the greatest, comeback/revival/out-of-the-blue success stories in recent watchmaking history that took the $2-5k market by storm and won the hearts of watch enthusiasts around the globe. As I discussed previously, this was largely thanks to its competitive pricing and its restrained, intelligent design that is distinct without trying too hard. Add to this its subtly communicated/implied link to Rolex, and last but not least, its cleverly expanded range of collections – namely the Heritage Black Bay, Pelagos, Heritage Chrono, and North Flag (arguably not the strongest offering in the range).

However, I am afraid that by adding this chronograph into the Heritage Black Bay line-up Tudor has taken another step towards becoming yet another among the myriads of “one-watch” brands. This is what I call it when a collection’s name is synonymous with the brand itself, and when you think about it there are, in truth, very few successfully versatile brands out there. We can’t predict what is in the pipeline in terms of other Tudor collections, but I can’t help but feel that Tudor has dropped the ball here by not updating the Heritage Chrono line. It’s a terrific watch that is thoroughly Tudor and one whose refresh would not have been more timely than now to bring it back into circulation and onto people’s minds, saving the “Tudor = Heritage Black Bay” equation from further developing.

Other than its dial, the original 1970 Tudor Oysterdate Chronograph 7032/0 is remarkably close to the new Heritage Black Bay Chrono – case, pushers, bezel, dial layout.

The Heritage Chrono even has a 42mm case (over the 41 of this new release) so spatial limitations probably would not have been an issue, plus it has the same bi-register, date-at-six layout – though its sub-dial layout admittedly is the inverse with the chronograph minutes counter being on the left and running seconds on the right. Though, interestingly, the original 1970s version of it had the same sub-dial layout as this new Breitling/Tudor movement offers, so really, all was a given.

Both when I had it in my hand for about half an hour and when editing my Baselworld 2017 images of the Tudor Heritage Black Bay Chrono, I found myself going and back and forth in growing to like it, but this just goes to show how incredibly great the “Black Bay look” is – but apart from brief moments of things coming together for my mind’s eye, the Heritage Black Bay Chrono never turned into a true Tudor or Black Bay for me.

Everyone is entitled to their aesthetic preference, of course, but it really isn’t pure aesthetics that turned me off here but rather the fact that the Heritage Black Bay turned into something that I never expected (or wanted) it to become. In contrast, the Heritage Chrono, a fantastic, vintage-inspired yet timeless and uniquely Tudor watch is one you can’t even find on the Tudor site anymore without clicking to view “all models” and scrolling down half a mile till the three long-standing models are shown.

I was going to ask if they had any plans for the Heritage Chrono but what’s the point when Tudor has been extremely secretive about all their upcoming products until the moment they’re officially launched – let alone ask external sources for feedback on upcoming stuff even though maybe, just maybe, from time to time that would help. The Heritage Chrono turns 50 in 2020, so maybe we’ll see something with this new movement and old-new dial layout then… But 2017, I feel, still should have brought us an update to that collection.

With an impressive movement wrapped into confusing and unexpected, half-vintage-half-new aesthetics, the Tudor Heritage Black Bay Chrono (ref. 79350) is priced at CHF 4,500 on a strap and CHF 4,800 on a bracelet, either of them coming with a woven strap also in the box. tudorwatch.com